The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Best Photoshop Actions

Do you spend hours manually editing photos to get that perfect, polished look? Do you find yourself repeating the same edits over and over again?

As a fellow photo editing enthusiast, I‘ve been there too!

The solution? Photoshop actions.

Photoshop actions are magical time-saving tools that can automate complex edits with just one click. Keep reading as I show you exactly where to find the best Photoshop actions to maximize your productivity and expand your creative capabilities.

What Are Photoshop Actions and Why Do You Need Them?

Simply put, Photoshop actions are recording tasks or effects that instantly apply edits to your images. They work like macros or scripts.

Instead of manually adjusting brightness, contrast, hues, saturation, adding textures, applying filters, etc. you can play an action to do it all instantly!

Photoshop actions come as .ATN files. You can install them and then apply the effects to any image with a single click or keyboard shortcut.

They work seamlessly across Photoshop as well as other Adobe programs like Lightroom.

Here are 5 major benefits you‘ll get from using Photoshop actions:

1. Save Hours of Time

Manual photo editing takes ages!

Just a simple color/tone correction process might involve tweaking dozens of sliders across multiple adjustment layers. And if you want to add textures, light effects, artistic filters, etc. you‘re looking at tons of steps.

Actions let you skip the grunt work and jump straight to the final result in seconds.

No more wasting half your day on edits. You can process 2X, 5X, 10X more images thanks to actions automating the repetitive parts.

2. Automate Repetitive Tasks

Here‘s a common scenario.

You have a photo shoot with 500 images to process. You need to apply similar color correction and styling across all the photos to match them visually.

Rather than manually editing each image, you could record the steps once into a Photoshop action. Then batch apply that action to all 500 photos with zero added effort.

Actions eliminate repetitive editing work so you can focus your energy on where it matters most.

3. Add Professional Polish

Even as an experienced designer or photographer, it can take lots of tweaking to give images that perfect commercial look.

With Photoshop actions created by industry pros, you can instantly apply complex effects with pro-level results.

Actions distill years of expertise into simple one-click solutions to give your images major polish.

4. Learn New Techniques

When starting with Photoshop, Lightroom, and photo editing, there‘s a steep learning curve. You might not know how to achieve certain filters, textures, or artistic edits.

By studying and using Photoshop actions created by top creatives, you can deconstruct how they work. Reverse engineer their steps to better understand their techniques.

It‘s an easy way to sharpen your skills so you can eventually create your own effects without relying solely on pre-made actions.

5. Unlock Creativity

Not only do actions save you time and effort, they expand your creative possibilities.

With the latest photo trends and styles converted into Photoshop actions, fresh inspiration and ideas are at your fingertips.

You can also layer multiple actions to combine effects. This opens the door for endless new variations you might never have considered before.

In summary, actions supercharge your productivity and creativity. They automate the busy work while providing professional polish and new ideas.

Let‘s look at where you can find the best Photoshop actions.

7 Best Sources for Photoshop Actions

Hundreds of marketplaces and free resources offer Photoshop actions. I‘ve handpicked the absolute best places to find everything from free starters to premium pro-grade actions.

1. Envato Elements – Unlimited Creative Assets

My #1 recommendation for actions is Envato Elements. For a monthly subscription, you gain unlimited downloads from a massive creative assets library.

We‘re talking:

Thousands of Photoshop actions
Lightroom presets
Graphics and templates
Video/audio clips
Fonts
3D models
Website themes
Mockups
Stock photos
And way more!

For image and design work, Envato Elements really shines for its actions selection. Browse thousands of actions split into handy categories:

Photo Effects – Vintage, black and white, HDR, cinematic, retouching – any photographic look you can imagine.
Text Effects – Animated, handwritten, outlined, neon, glitched, scattered – transform type in every way possible.
Shapes and Patterns – Geometric backgrounds, abstract art, illustrations – excellent for print projects.
Utilities – Batch processing, cropping, resizing, watermarking – streamline your workflow.
Special Effects – Painting, sketching, weather, explosions, lightning, glitches, dispersion – limited only by your imagination!

And many more categories to explore. With unlimited downloads, you could spend months trying new effects every day and still not run out of creative options.

For photographers and designers after versatile, high-quality actions, Envato Elements offers an unmatched selection. Well worth the subscription cost for the huge time savings too.

2. GraphicRiver – Marketplace for Premium Actions

Owned by Envato, GraphicRiver hosts a massive marketplace specifically for Photoshop products.

You‘ll find thousands of actions here for:

Photographic looks – black and white, vintage, film, cinematic, grunge, landscape styles
Artistic filters – painting, drawing, watercolor, glitch, distress, sci-fi
Text effects – 3D, neon, stacked, scattered and much more
Special effects – Lighting, weather, smoke, fireworks, magic, explosions
Textures and shapes – Foil, water, metal, wood, fabric, geometric patterns
And utility workflow actions – Batch editing, resizing, cropping, frames, watermarking

GraphicRiver offers both free and premium actions. Premium actions are priced from $2-$10 and allow for extended commercial use.

I appreciate how they have great search and filters to pinpoint exactly what kinds of text effects, photo filters, artistic actions, etc. you‘re looking for.

Before downloading, you can preview how actions transform sample images too. This ensures you get an action that perfectly fits the style and task you need.

With new uploads daily, unlimited downloads, and a huge existing library, GraphicRiver is hands down one of the top action marketplaces online today.

3. Mixkit – Free Entry Level Actions

If you‘re just getting started exploring Photoshop actions, definitely check out the free starter packs at Mixkit.

They offer a tidy sampling of actions for common effects like:

Black and white conversion
Split tone (orange/teal cinematic look)
Vintage film styles
Retro colors
Soft focus/light leak portraits
Text effects like bold, crossing, scattered

While not a massive selection, these free actions are super high-quality and cover many beginner photo editing needs.

You can use them for both personal and commercial projects with attribution. Once you get comfortable with these starter actions, I‘d recommend graduating to premium options.

But for dipping your toes in without spending money, Mixkit is fantastic. Their blog also offers great beginner guides for using actions.

4. Designs.ai – More Great Freebie Actions

Another excellent source for free starter actions is Designs.ai.

They offer about two dozen diverse actions for:

Black and white conversion
Vintage/retro color filters
Cinematic looks
Faded/dusty film styles
Cross process colors
Light leaks/haze
Drawing/painting artistic effects
Text effects like neon and scramble

These actions have flexible licenses for personal and commercial use with attribution. The .ZIP download packs make it easy to install them into your Photoshop workspace quickly.

As someone new to actions, Designs.ai lets you grab a bunch to experiment with and learn. Once you realize their time-saving potential, invest in premium actions.

5. Creative Market – Premium & Freebie Photoshop Actions

Transitioning into premium actions, one of my favorite marketplaces is Creative Market.

Creative Market curates tons of premium design assets like fonts, templates, graphics…and of course Photoshop actions!

You can refine your search by photographic, textual, artistic, and utility actions. Some standout categories:

Text Effects – Animated, handwritten, scattered, cut out, emoji, neon, glitched – tons of options to transform fonts.
Photo Effects – Color filters, black and white, vintage, cinematic, film styles, light leaks, bokeh – give photos any look and feel imaginable.
Artistic Effects – Painting, drawing, abstract, glitch, pixel, watercolor, grunge, distortion – turn photos into art pieces.
Special Effects – Fire, lightning, smoke, weather, water, sparkles, sci-fi, fantasy – take your edits to the next level.

They offer a few free actions, but most cost between $3-$8 for full extended licenses. Given the unique high-quality effects, the value is outstanding.

I especially like browsing Creative Market for eye-catching actions I‘ve never seen before. Lots of creativity amongst these independent designers!

6. RetroSupply – Vintage Photo Effects

If you‘re aiming for authentic old school vintage looks, RetroSupply is a fantastic premium resource.

They focus entirely on high-quality retro effects to make photos look like:

Old film prints
Faded polaroids
Dusty antique snapshots
Vintage paper textures
Aged lens effects like light leaks

It‘s the gold standard for realistic vintage without looking tacky or overdone. Beyond actions, they also offer:

Film-scanned overlays
Retro Photoshop brushes
Authentic vintage templates
Analog lightroom presets

Their detailed tutorials teach you how to leverage these design assets for incredibly immersive retro photography.

Prices range from $7-$47 for specialized vintage Photoshop products. If you do any retro work, their shop is an inspiring game changer.

7. PhotoshopSupply – Top Selling Premium Actions

Lastly, check out PhotoshopSupply which aggregates top selling actions, templates, and tools from various elite authors.

You can find amazing Photoshop actions for:

Black and white conversion – Dynamic, dramatic, bright, moody, infrared black and white looks.
Portrait retouching – Skin smoothing, makeup enhancement, glare reduction, eyes brightening, face sculpting actions.
Special effects – Rain, snow, smoke, light beams, shadows, texture overlay effects.
Text effects – Outlines, fills, handwritten, 3D, scattered, cut out, neon text effects.
Vintage styles – Faded film looks, light leaks, dust and scratches overlays.
Photo color/tone – Advanced split toning, duotones, LUTs, color splash effects.

They partner with Photoshop masters known for their niche effects. You pay $5-$50 for specialized actions, but the quality is stellar.

This is a shop seasoned photo editors regularly buy from to save time and gain pro-level results.

6 Tips for Using Photoshop Actions

Now that you‘ve got access to endless Photoshop actions, let‘s cover some best practices for using them effectively:

1. Add Actions You‘ll Actually Use Regularly

It‘s easy to get over excited downloading every cool action only to have them sit unused. Stick to ones that match your niche and editing style.

For example, don‘t hoard niche text effects if you only work on portraits. Or abstract graphic actions if you just need vintage looks.

Curate your collection smartly with versatile essentials you‘ll actually utilize in real projects vs. novelty effects. Quality over quantity!

2. Learn to Batch Process Photos

Manually running actions on single images defeats much of the time-saving purpose.

Learn to batch process multiple photos at once with actions. You can edit 100 photos faster than just 10 by hand.

Set aside low-effort time to batch run actions across project images for efficiency.

3. Adjust Settings Rather Than Accepting Defaults

Most actions have customizable settings you can tweak instead of just a one-click default application.

Dial up or down an effect‘s intensity. Swap out textures or colors. Merge steps from different actions.

Customizing makes actions more versatile instead of a one-trick preset. Don‘t be afraid to experiment and tailor them to your needs!

4. Study an Action‘s Steps to Learn Techniques

As a beginner, actions provide an easy way to learn complex techniques from experts.

Deconstruct how an action achieves its effect by looking at the steps and settings.

Reverse engineer the process to improve your own skills so you rely less on presets down the road. Think of actions as training wheels for ramping up your expertise.

5. Layer Actions to Combine Effects

Actions can be applied individually or stacked on top of each other to combine effects.

Get creative with layering complementary actions. For example, add a faded film effect + light leaks + texturized borders.

The combinations are endless for truly unique photo effects. Think outside the box and blend away!

6. Incorporate Actions Seamlessly into Your Workflow

The goal of actions is to save time and effort while enhancing workflow efficiency. Set them up somewhere convenient and bind with hotkeys for quick access.

Train yourself to utilize them on all images to automate rote tasks. Let actions handle time-consuming technical stuff so you can focus on creative work.

With practice, you‘ll seamlessly integrate them into your editing process.

Sample Action Use Cases and Results

Still not sure how you‘d use Photoshop actions in your real projects? Here are some examples across different niches:

Case: A fashion photographer shooting models in studio needs to color correct and add a bright, airy look to hundreds of photos quickly.

Solution: Use a "fashion portrait" Photoshop action with brightened tones, slight desaturation to mute colors, and light leaks for an ethereal feel. Batch edit all photos in minutes vs. hours.

Case: A food blogger needs to make dinner photos pop with color and appetizing contrast to share recipes online.

Solution: Use a "food photo" action that bumps up saturation, adds light vignettes, and boosts shadows/highlights for depth. Make the dishes vibrant and delicious with one click.

Case: A wedding photographer needs to convert a ceremony photo album to black and white to match vintage invitation aesthetics.

Solution: Use a black and white Photoshop action with dynamic contrast and grain for dramatic vintage flair. Get cohesive B&W in seconds.

Case: A model needs to enhance portraits with a smooth flawless skin look before posting them to her Instagram portfolio.

Solution: Use a "retouching skin" action that eliminates blemishes, evens out tone/texture, and reduces shadows. Instantly get magazine-worthy shots.

Case: An artistic photographer wants to transform coastal sunset photos into striking watercolor-style digital paintings.

Solution: Use an "artistic watercolor" action that reimagines the photos with fluid filtered effects, canvas textures, and pastel coloring.

The possibilities are truly endless with actions. They can instantly enhance your photos for any project needs.

Unleash Your Creativity with Photoshop Actions

There you have it – everything you need to know about finding the best Photoshop actions plus tips for using them effectively.

With millions of options across marketplaces like Envato, Creative Market, GraphicRiver, and free resources like Mixkit and Designs.ai – your creative toolkit is now overflowing with potential!

Actions enable you to:

Save hours of manual editing time.
Automate repetitive post-processing workflows.
Add professional polish with a single click.
Expand your skills by examining pro effects.
Explore creative looks you couldn‘t do manually.

But most importantly, actions accelerate your daily photo edits so you spend more moments doing what you love most – capturing stunning images.

Stop grinding away manually adjusting the same old sliders and filters. Let actions handle the grunt work while you focus on big picture creativity.

Transform the way you approach photo editing and see your productivity reach new heights! I wish you the best on your journey mastering these invaluable time-saving tools.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Regards,

David
Photoshop Actions Enthusiast